Miser Family update: people and places version

Life has been rich with travel, and full with family and friends, in the Miser Mom household recently.  Two or more weekends ago, J-son asked to come down for a visit; we spent time together at church and he got visits from a huge group of friends, who chilled with him in our back yard before I had to take him back.  

J-son and his buddies in the back yard. 

And then, having driven the car a hundred-ish miles for the sake of a few hours with my son, I jumped on an airplane and flew to Denver for the big math meetings.  I feel increasingly conflicted about air travel these days, as anyone who knows my eco-mentality might understand. 

And yet, MathFest.  Some of my favorite people in the world to reconnect with.   I get to learn how Hollywood uses differential equations to make animated snow.  I get to meet with my editor and one of my coauthors.  I get to catch up with friends I haven't seen in 6 months, share stories about retirement plans, ideas for books, schemes for converting the academic world over to mastery-based grading. It's not about flying for the sake of spewing jet fuel into the atmosphere, it's about connecting with people. 

A rough sketch for the possible cover of our book.

Not that travel itself isn't amazing.   Denver is a fabulously beautiful city, with amazing sculptures.  I loved walking around in the city and just looking at things, during the few times that I wasn't at workshops or talks or connecting with old and new math friends.

Chinese Zodiac sculptures outside the Denver Civic Center museum.

And after MathFest, as if flying from the East Coast to Denver isn't eco-moral-ambiguous enough, I then hopped on another plane and flew to Montana, where I got to reconnect with my dad and sisters.   Who, also, I only see about twice a year.  My dad is the one who chooses the locations, and my sisters and I gladly bow to the patriarchy and follow where he leads.
 

Pausing during a hike in Glacier National Park

Whitefish, Montana happens to be a beautiful place that he's led us to, by the way.  We've had wonderful times hiking (for those of us who like hiking, which I do) and taking boat tours, and rafting, and more hiking, and riding scenic lifts.   But really, just hanging out with my sisters is the best part.  We do fitness blender together, and catch up on our lives.  We commiserate over the travails of raising up our kids and crow over their successes; we brag on how spry our dad is; we remember stories and offer encouragement and compare what it's like to move into our second half-century.

Nine of us at the top of a scenic lift

 I am so very, very grateful for the chance to spend time with these people I love.  I try to remember to be very, very grateful for the many other "ordinary" things I often take for granted.   Letters from Haiti help to remind me to practice gratitude; we got an update from the missionary who is helping us support a young man, X-son, down there.  She writes

Life is still very hard for him He is living with his mother. Water is scarce on the mountain.All water must be hand carried up there. And it is far. Someone tried drilling but it is too high up and they never hit water. There is a water tanker truck that goes up there but if they do not have money to buy water, they have to do without. Food is still scarce. It is life in Haiti.I know he needs shoes. He told me he just wants to make a better life.

She also says,

He is working on his inscription for his last year of school. Are you still interested in sponsoring him for the 2018-2019 school year? He is hoping you do. . . .  He is doing well. He is excited for his last year.

We're not going to go fly to see him again, I'm pretty sure.  But we will continue to support his schooling, and we'll chat with the missionary about the wisdom of helping him get shoes (dependency and corruption are very real possible downsides to sending money to Haiti, so we do our best to help in ways that are actually helpful, and don't just make us feel virtuous and do-goody). 

And that's the news from the Miser Household, which continues to be wealthy in our traveling adventures.  May you and yours be similarly prosperous.